Table 2

MEDLINE search strategy

#1sepsis.mp. or exp Sepsis/
#2septic shock.mp. or Shock, Septic/
#3fung?emia.mp. or Fungemia/
#4bacter?emia.mp. or Bacteremia/
#5blood?stream infection$.mp.
#6blood poison$.mp.
#7Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/ or SIRS.mp.
#8septic?emia.mp.
#9"severe sepsis".mp.
#10(presumed adj4 sepsis).mp.
#11(suspected adj4 sepsis).mp.
#12#1 or #2 or #3 or #4 or #5 or #6 or #7 or #8 or #9 or #10 or #11
#13PCR.mp. or Polymerase Chain Reaction/
#14SeptiFast.mp.
#15LightCycler.mp.
#16multiplex PCR.mp.
#17real time PCR.mp.
#18real?time PCR.mp.
#19Molecular Diagnostic Techniques/ or molecular diagnosis.mp.
#20molecular identification.mp.
#21#13 or #14 or #15 or #16 or #17 or #18 or #19 or #20
#22blood cultur$.mp.
#23Bacteriological Techniques/mt [Methods]
#24Blood/mi [Microbiology]
#25#22 or #23 or #24
#26#12 and #21 and #25
#27Animals/
#28#26 not #27
#29Viruses/
#30#28 not #29
#31limit #30 to (humans and yr=“2006 -Current”)
  • mp=protocol supplementary concept, rare disease supplementary concept, title, original title, abstract, name of substance word, subject heading word, unique identifier.